VyprVPN Review

VyprVPN isn’t perfect provider, but it definitely provides some important features that other’s don’t..

In this VyprVPN review, I’ll do my best to list out all the advantages and disadvantages of this VPN service.

Switzerland based company Golden Frog (the parent company of VyprVPN) has been an integral player in the fight for online privacy since the inception of the internet.

According to their website, the company was founded in response to the Room 641a incident where the NSA was illegally surveilling citizens by tapping the AT&T network cables.

Allegedly, Golden Frog filed a formal complaint with the FCC to try and expose the issue to the public, but was ignored.

So they decided to take matters into their own hands…

Lead by Ron and Carolyn Yokubaitis (relatives), Golden Frog and their 20+ employees have been on the frontlines of the battle for internet privacy in recent years and have built a strong reputation as one of the leading VPN providers on the web.

To accomplish this goal, they provide their users with access to the OpenVPN protocol (default) as well as PPTP, IPSec, and L2TP and they encrypt all of your data using the ultra-secure AES-256 encryption key (the same standard used by the FBI, CIA, and NSA).

But they don’t stop protecting your data there…

In recent years, draconian countries like North Korea and China have been cracking down on VPN users using something known as a ‘Deep Packet Inspection or DPI which scans metadata and searches for tell-tale signs that indicate someone is using a VPN.

Once they’ve caught onto your trail, these governments will begin to block or throttle your usage to ensure that you cannot successfully use a VPN for any purpose (legal or otherwise).

… Which is a big problem for many users.

In response to these recent crackdowns, VyprVPN developed a proprietary technology known as Chameleon™ that scrambles your metadata so that you can continue to use your VPN without getting picked up by the DPI scans.

If you’re using your VPN from a country like China, Russia, or Turkey, this can, quite literally, be a lifesaver.

Unfortunately, due to VPN restrictions by iOS, this technology is only available for Android, Windows, and Mac users (sorry iPhone users).

So far, things are looking great for VyprVPN…

But what about their logging policy?

With such a long and rich history of fighting for internet security and individual privacy rights, you would imagine that VyprVPN would provide a strict “Zero Logs” policy.

With a download speed of 74.48 Mbps VyprVPN slowed my connection by a little bit less than 24% which is more than acceptable.

However, some of their other servers didn’t fare quite as well…

US Server (New York)

Ping: 131ms

Download: 51.09 Mbps

Upload: 3.17 Mbps

EU Server (Amsterdam)

Ping: 42ms

Download: 74.48 Mbps

Upload: 35.88 Mbps

Asia Server (Hong Kong)

Ping: 355ms

Download: 54.29 Mbps

Upload: 8.22 Mbps

UK Server (London)

Ping: 53ms

Download: 70.46 Mbps

Upload: 37.47 Mbps

As you can see, VyprVPN’s EU servers are highly optimized and provide their users with rapid download and upload speeds.

… Their U.S. servers, on the other hand, leave something to be desired.

When I last reviewed VyprVPN it was the fourth fastest VPN out of the 70+ that have been reviewed here on thebestvpn.com

However…

Times have changed.

Although VyprVPN performs just as well as it always has, there have been a number of new additions to the VPN marketplace that have knocked VyprVPN out of the ranking for the fastest VPNs.

The lackluster speeds of their U.S. servers have caused VyprVPN to drop from the 4th fastest VPN down to the 18th (which is a far fall indeed).

With companies like Private Tunnel and ExpressVPN performing considerably faster than VyprVPN, Golden Frog will have their work cut out for them in the coming months to bring their U.S. servers back up to par and compete with the other major players in the VPN marketplace.

Is VyprVPN Safe?

In order to double check the privacy and safety of VyprVPN, I ran a couple of scans using IP and DNS Leak detection software to ensure that all of my information was indeed being kept private.

Here were the results that I found…

After running more than four tests, I can safely say that I had no IP nor DNS leaks while using VyprVPN.

…Which is a big win.

I also decided to run a scan using VirusTotal to ensure that GoldeFrog wasn’t injecting any malware or adware onto my device.

Again, everything checked out and I am happy to report that VyprVPN appears, for all intents and purposes, to be a safe VPN provider.

Does VyprVPN work with Netflix?

Ever since Netflix began geo-blocking on customers using a VPN to access location restricted movies and TV shows, it’s become increasingly difficult to find a VPN provider that allows you to stream content from Netflix.

I tested out VyprVPN’s Netflix compatibility using their variety of different servers across the United States and EU.

… Here were the results that I got.

New York Server: Works like a charm! Videos load fast and I was able to stream without any problems.

Chicago Server: Just like the New York server, I had no problem connecting to Netflix using VyprVPN’s Chicago server.

United Kingdom: Blocked

Canada: Blocked

Netherlands: Blocked

While I was a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t stream nor unblock Netflix from any of their EU server locations, this is still a “Win” for Golden Frog considering just how rare it is to find a VPN provider that still works with Netflix.

I was pleasantly surprised when I connected to their New York server and was able to load up John Mulaney’s Comeback Kid without so much as a 3-second buffer.

Is Torrenting Allowed?

Although VyprVPN and Golden Frog have kept fairly quiet regarding their opinion on P2P file sharing and torrenting, I was able to find the following statement on their help center.

And this seems great.

Heck, VyprVPN even allows their customers to use BitTorrent clients and claim that they don’t actively monitor any of your network activity.

But there’s a catch…

When I dug a little deeper I found that many GoldenFrog clients were having their account suspended due to copyright infringement notices and the support team responded to these suspensions with the following statement.

So even though you can technically torrent files with VyprVPN it’s important to note that if you break any copyright laws, you will likely have your account canceled or suspended (and unfortunately, there are no refunds).

What Devices Are Supported?

VyprVPN is compatible with all major devices including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

In addition to these basic devices, VyprVPN also allows you to anonymize your router, Apple TV, and Android TV.

At this time, it does not appear that VyprVPN offers browser extensions for Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer (but no one uses that anyways… Right?)

In addition, VyprVPN is not compatible with TOR (the Orion Router) or any other third party proxies so if you’re looking to add an extra layer of anonymity and security to your VPN experience, you might need to look at some other providers.

Is VyprVPN Easy To Use (Usability)

One of the areas where VyprVPN really shines is in its usability…

I’ve tested out dozens of VPNs and of the 70+ applications that I’ve used, VyprVPN is by far one of the simplest and smoothest to use.

After clicking a few buttons and agreeing to their Terms of Service, VyprVPN is instantly downloaded to your device and you’re brought to their easy-to-use home interface.

All in all, VyprVPN provides their customers with a simple and easy to use application that allows for effortless navigation and efficiency.

Servers & Additional Features

With more than 700+ servers spread across 70+ countries, VyprVPN offers their customers access to one of the largest networks and server parks that has ever been reviewed on this site.

In addition to this impressive figure, they are also one of the few VPN companies that write and host their own servers and DNS.

… Which is fantastic for user privacy.

This means that they own the ENTIRE network that you are using while connected to their VPN client and they are the only party who has any access to your private information.

Furthermore, they offer a fantastic killswitch feature which allows you to rest easy knowing that, even if you get disconnected from one of their servers (a problem I never encountered), all of your activities will be immediately shut down, preventing you or your information from being compromised.

Last, but not least

How is VyprVPN’s Customer Support?

One of the biggest improvements that VyprVPN has made since the last time I reviewed them is their customer support.

Previously, I was forced to endure more than a 14 hour response time (which was far from the advertised 24/7 support).

This time around, however, GoldenFrog seems to have gotten it right.

For the purposes of this review, I submitted three different support inquiries and received a response within ten minutes for each one.

Here’s a screenshot of my second support ticket inquiring about which UK servers might be compatible with Netflix.

Since this didn’t really answer my question, I followed up again and received the following response.

Although this wasn’t exactly the answer I was hoping to see, it was nice to see that VyprVPN had dramatically improved their response time even if the support team lacked some of the requisite knowledge to assist me in my inquiry.

More importantly, VyprVPN now offers live chat support for people who can’t afford to wait and want faster access to customer support.

VyprVPN Cost, Plans & Payment Methods

Unlike most of the big name VPNs on the market, VyprVPN doesn’t offer a “One Size Fits All” plan.

Instead, they offer two different subscriptions, basic and premium, to buy a VyprVPN:

The Basic Plan

$60.00/year when you select the yearly plan ($5.00/mo)

$9.95/mo for a monthly subscription

3 simultaneous connections

Unlimited data usage

The Premium Plan

$80.00/year when billed annually ($6.67/mo)

$12.95/mo for a monthly subscription

5 simultaneous connections

VyprVPN Cloud Included

Chameleon Included

I’m not a fan of VPNs that offer basic vs. premium pricing plans but, for all intents and purposes, VyprVPN charges a fair price for their large server park, fast download speeds, and Netflix compatibility.

Since all plans come with a 3-day free trial (without bandwidth limit), VyprVPN does not offer refunds under any circumstances so be sure to test out their service as thoroughly as possible before committing to a yearly plan.

Considering how many VPN providers offer shady refund terms and hidden charges, it’s refreshing to see that VyprVPN is straightforward and transparent about the entire payment process.

One final note to consider is that VyprVPN does not offer any anonymous payment options.

…You can only pay with a debit or credit card, PayPal, or AliPay.

Sorry Bitcoin fans, if you want to pay anonymously, VyprVPN is not the service for you.

Do We Recommend VyprVPN?

Yes and no…

VyprVPN is a great VPN provider that offers their customers access to top of the line security features, a vast server park, Netflix compatibility and decent customer service.

However, their lack of anonymous payment options and legal concerns around torrenting files can pose as a serious issue for some users.

When you consider just how many excellent VPNs are in the same price range it’s hard to justify purchasing a VyprVPN subscription over one of their faster or more feature rich competitors.

At the end of the day, if your primary concern is security and anonymity, VyprVPN is one of the best services on the market.

However, if you are looking for the best all-around VPN that will give you the biggest bang for your buck then I’d recommend checking out our VPN reviews of NordVPN & ExpressVPN.

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13 user reviews for VyprVPN

Bryan 9/10May 26, 2019

Best VPN on the Market as of Now

I give this a 9/10 score primarily because I think they should offer more devices and currently they offer 3 for basic and 5 for prime. The review on this page pretty much says it all and but to reiterate the Chameleon protocol that uses OpenVPN to scramble the metadata even further than just the standard OpenVPN does. It truly allows anonymity. So the reviews here that say that VyprVPN is not secure or private don't know much about DCMA policy. If you're torrenting they won't find out from VyprVPN but the law states that if a DCMA complaint is made about you then they are obligated by law to terminate your account if you have multiple complaints. These complaints can come from anywhere but why they hell would VyprVPN want to report you and lose business with you huh? Didn't think of that did you bub? Just because a VPN service follows the law and complies with guidelines to close your account to block you from torrenting, doesn't make it a bad service. But that being said, why do you need to torrent? nothing is free, so if you are going to torrent then you get maybe some things for free and then when you're caught, you pay the price in one way or another.

Primarily the reasons I went with VyprVPN is because they own their own servers. This is the true security concern people need to have. If you have a server that is privately owned, that owner really does have access to your data. It might be encrypted like data on an FBI/CIA/NSA server but learn your lesson from Hillary Clinton who had a server in her home and likely China stole the data when she sent it through the internet. China and other authoritarian countries can seize servers at any time, but they will likely threaten the owners or even pay them to sell your data to them. VyprVPN owns all their own servers so they have all the encryption keys and they have control over all the metadata. It ain't goin nowhere!

will 1/10April 02, 2019

Garbage VPN with horrid service

VyprVPN is a waste of money. When you first start using the service it seems like it should be good; somehow they have a lot of good reviews out there; but it doesn't work well in China and their customer service is awful. When their service reps don't know how to answer your question easily they just say they'll email you later and then never email you. Really wish I hadn't wasted money on them TWICE.

John 3/10March 05, 2019

Shady business practices.

First, I have to mention the VPN service itself is okay. It usually works, has lots of servers to choose from and is relatively stable so I'll give them some points for that.

It's worth noting however that if you use Vypr from China, there has been lot of downtime lately (late 2018 to early 2019), sometimes up to 3 weeks at a time.

Now, my big complaint is that they seem to have really shady business practices with paying customers.I first registered with VyprVPN in 2014 with what they called at the time a PRO account, paying $99.99/year for the service. In 2017, the PRO service was discontinued and replaced with what they call the PREMIUM service, costing $80/year. Problem is, they never informed me or other customers by email about this so, if you didn't personally change from PRO to Premium in account settings, you would still be paying $99.99 yearly for their $80 Premium service, which I did until today.

When I contacted their customer service about this, all they could manage to say was that it wasn't their responsibility to change their customer's payment plan and that they could do nothing about the extra money I had been paying them for the last 2 years.

So, for the last 2 years, I paid VyprVPN either $19.99 or $39.98 extra that I didn't have to pay (depending on when in 2017 they switched from PRO to Premium).

Might not seem like a lot but when you consider that they probably have thousands + customers and that I'm unlikely to be the only one with this problem...Terrible service!

Ciprian 10/10December 9, 2018

No logs

VyprVPN now has a no logging policy which is great. Presumably this also means that DMCA notices can't be enforced. I've used them for over a year and have been happy with the service. A previous version of their macOS app would hang and block the VPN connection until a full restart, but that seems fixed now

Dbim 2/10October 30, 2018

Constant Problems

Vypr service basically sucks. First, it almost never "automatically"reconnects. You usually have to click three times to get it to reconnect and then half the time it still doesn't reconnect so you have to forcibly stop the program or reboot your computer. The mobile app is even worse since it doesn't even try to reconnect. It does not work with peer-to-peer services at all, and they don't respond to a request for how to set that up. Service is often exceedingly slow. I spend more time dealing with Vypr connection issues than any other program. It's ridiculous.

Tom 1/10October 24, 2018

VyprVPN will rat you out...

Don’t let some VPN’s fool you into thinking that they will not rat you out to your ISP. I used to use Vypr for when I was in China and when I was using P2P torrents, and I received a “FINAL” notice from my ISP for copyright infringement. Golden Frog had ratted me out to TWC . They’ll ALL tell you that your connection is protected, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

Jay 5/10September 30, 2018

Not too bad, but....

Currently got access to around 6 servers where the ping ranges from 22 Europe to 130 Brazil, USA is 1200 ping and the rest of the sites like my own country are not listed as being accessible.

I did have a DMCA takedown request and had to accept a different method to access stuff.

Seems they are the same price as ExpressVPN who do not seem to log.

I’m on a year's payment, but will have to cancel next year.

Customer support is good and they will try several ways to help, but prefer the no logging option.You can of course use Tor as well as a VPN.

Kandi Klover 1/10September 21, 2018

A dishonest Company.

In addition to everything everyone else said on here about Vypr (except for the one 10/10 shill which is typical if you browse their forum), which is all true they also lie about where they are based. They have no real presence or base in Switzerland and are in fact a USA company that thought they were being clever by registering out of nation, they are not and provide very little real privacy and leave no security to minimize the risk to their users. They are also vastly over priced and don't let you connect as many devices as other better services with actual privacy. They also overhype their Chameleon technology which is ineffective at bypassing most simple blocks due to the fact that is UDP only and leaves no option for TDP on port 80 or 443 which better services do and get you through most firewalls.

dan komis 1/10July 25, 2018

Dodgy

I've never seen a dodgier service. They take your money first, and ask questions later. They manually review every single account. If they suspect you of fraud (They are the judge and jury), then they just deny your service, and keep your money. Like every company, they want to save money, and are understaffed, so they take their sweet time to review your eligibility. Maybe, just maybe they might approve you, and you will have the privilege of using their service AFTER they already have your money. But if they don;t like you, and accuse you of fraud, then they keep your money, and you are out $10. Thank god I didn't sign up for their yearly service. Be warned. If you are in need of using VPN urgently, don't sign up for vypyr.

E Douglas Jensen 10/10May 11, 2018

DPI protection is very important

It isn’t just “draconian” countries that do DPI and block VPN’s, so does–for example–BBC as you will discover if you try to VPN to watch their video channels. But VyprVPN/Chameleon gets through, and at a decent download speed. You under-played that feature, which almost all other VPN’s lack. I am not the least bit concerned about torrenting which I never would do, nor am I at all concerned about their logging.

Al Lee 1/10April 27, 2018

They do log

They suspended my subscription saying I downloaded torrent movie. So much for no log claim.

I switched to PureVPN but lost the balance of my subscription to VYPRvpn.

Richard 2/10February 14, 2018

If you care about privacy and torrenting, this is not a VPN for you

THE GOOD:
-Was able to watch Netflix in US, Australia, and New Zealand. The other countries (including the UK) I tried were blocked by Netflix and detected as a VPN

THE BAD:
(Phew, where to start?)

-THEY ARE TRACKING YOU: VyprVPN tracks what you are doing while you’re connected to their service despite the claim on their privacy statement (https://www.goldenfrog.com/privacy): “What Golden Frog Does Not Collect From VyprVPN Sessions: Does not log a user’s traffic or the content of any communications.” This is obviously false because:

-COPYRIGHT NOTICES: If they detect you are torrenting, you will be sent a DMCA copyright infringement notice by email and your service will be blocked until you sign an affirmation that you will not do it again. Refusal to sign means your service will forever be blocked.

-RUDE CUSTOMER SUPPORT: After I was sent an email that I had downloaded copyrighted material and that my service was blocked, I contacted support via live chat telling them I wanted to cancel my service. I asked for a PARTIAL refund since there was still 20 days left of the month that I would not be using. I did not ask for a full refund of the month, just the unused portion of the 20 days left! Not an unreasonable request, I think. The support person told me they had a strict no-refund policy. After arguing back and forth about why I didn’t want to sign their affirmation and that they were the ones blocking my use of their product, the customer service agent told me he was going to end the chat! How rude! I find their attitude was quite inflexible and not customer-friendly.

-INFLEXIBLE REFUND POLICY: My request for even a partial refund was denied even though they blocked my service. I find their policy quite inflexible.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
-If you care about privacy and torrenting, this is not a VPN for you

Al 3/10October 2, 2017

Session logs kept for 30 days

VyprVPN does keep session logs for 30 days, although the review says no logs are kept. The following (taken from the VyprVPN website) logging is done:

“Each time a user connects to VyprVPN, we retain the following data for 30 days: the user’s source IP address, the VyprVPN IP address used by the user, connection start and stop time and total number of bytes used.”